Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuisse, Burgundy, France, 2010.

Grape

100% Chardonnay

Facts

It wasn’t that long ago that Pouilly-Fuisse [poo-yee fwee-SAY] had developed a fairly bad reputation among wine drinkers. Overuse of fertilizers and herbicides in the vineyards resulted in huge crops. These grapes were in turn picked from the vine too early, by the vineyards who were scared about achieving the perfect ripeness levels. The result wasn’t good! Thin, watery, overly acidic wines that due to the Pouilly-Fuissé, name weren’t cheap either!

You’ll be relieved to know (if you care) that a brand new generation of growers has started to respect the land and the grapes a little. Not to say that these types of shenanigans aren’t still taking place, but competition from New World wines has probably made the French think a little more about what they’re sticking in the bottle!

I’ve always thought that Pouilly Fuisse has a little-bit of an image problem. It’s one of those wines that will always do well in restaurants. Look at that label above, it looks fancy, right? However; if you were to ask most people (“everyday-drinkers”) the grape in Pouilly-Fuisse, I’d put money on 99% not being able to tell you that it’s Chardonnay.

The Louis Latouris without question the market leader for Pouilly Fuisse, but they’ve had a good head-start, with their winemaking dating back to the 17th century. The house produces wines throughout the Burgundy region, ranging from $10 retail up to their well-cellared vintage wines reaching to 4-digits.

Place (click for larger image)

Pouilly and Fuisse are actually two separate villages located in the Southern Maconnais region of Burgundy in France(they’re pretty hard to find once you click into the map, but I promise you they’re there!).

It wasn’t until I started studying for the Certified Sommelier exam that I realized how much of a nightmare Burgundy is to understand! The basics aren’t that bad, there’s really only two grown grapes in the region: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Cote D’Or (North) produces primarily red, and the Cote de Beaune (South) produces mainly white. But then you start getting into individual villages, 600+ Premier Cru’s, and 33 Grand Cru’s, and all of a sudden you start to develop a headache as you think about the Master Sommeliers that have to remember it all!

If you’ve read any of my previous posts on European wines (and if not, why not!?!), you’ll know how I’ve talked about one of the greatest confusions being between understanding the grape(s) a wine is made from, and the region it comes from. The main thing to remember is that if it’s white and it comes from Burgundy, there’s about a 99% chance it’s Chardonnay. Now, there’s always a few exceptions to these rules (winemakers are hard to tame, particularly French winemakers); there are some plantings of a white grape known as Aligote, however it’s nowhere near as prevalent as Chardonnay.

Whites account for 60% of the wine production coming out of Burgundy.

Just when you think you’ve got Pouilly Fuisse all figured out, I come along and start telling you about Pouilly Fume! It’s easy to see how the two get confused; however, Pouilly Fume is made from Sauvignon Blanc, comes from the Loire Valley region of France, and is a completely different wine. If you are going to take anything with you from this post, it’s that Pouilly-Fuisse is ALWAYS Chardonnay, Pouilly Fume is ALWAYS Sauvignon Blanc.

The soil in the region of Burgundy is made up primarily of limestone and clay, which is believed to contribute to a rich mineral taste in the wine.

Taste

Great fragrant nose, floral tones with subtle lemon zest, butter, kiwi, crisp green apple and rich juicy pear. Round and creamy texture in the mouth. Bracing acidity and minerality, balances well with the fruit. A touch of tropical fruit comes through once the wine breathes and warms up. Impressive-persistent finish that will stay with you: kind of like that Lady Gaga song I heard on the radio this morning….I just can’t get it out of my head!!!

Pairing

Why do you always need food? When it comes to pairing though, Pouilly-Fuisse has a relatively heavy mouthfeel, and more of a buttery texture which allows it to be matched with everything from poultry to seafood. Also think about creamy soups, bass, trout, halibut, swordfish, pork, sushi, or simply to be enjoyed as an aperitif.

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